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[Rita]

Most comments on 1984 center on its political, social, and moral implications, as well as numerous conspiracy theories pertaining to modern governments. However, often the metaphysical aspect of this book is ignored. The point is that the world, as it is perceived by us, is a feature of how our brain processes incoming sensory information. Aside from all the other points raised, this book also explores the power of the human mind. It is already known that in Eastern mystical practices people were able to train their mind to the point where seeming physical barriers were overcome, and even pain was no longer felt. 1984 describes essentially the same thing, though in a more macabre setting. If everyone human being excercises his mind to the point where it is flexible enough to alter perceived reality than the objective nature of physical laws becomes irrelevant, since the only thing that makes reality is the human mind. This aspect of brain-washing--or doublethink---is considered perhaps the most harrowing aspect of the 1984 society--but why should it be so. It is only horrific because it is abused by a government that intends to keep the majority of masses at an unhappy sustenance level. However, that does not always have to be the case. The idea of the human mind perceiving a different reality than the one we are used to is not in itself an evil phenomenon--just a foreign one to us and therefore feared. However, it is not out of the question that some future society might exist in precisely such a state of altered reality with a result much happier than that presented by Orwell. <br><br>On a different note, my most pressing question regarding the book is why the Party should strive so dilligently to maintain power that doesn't seem to be too beneficial to any individual party member nor is it something that is even necessarily hereditary. I don't believe Orwell when he says "Power is God" and leaves that as the ultimate explanation for Winston's question of Why? People's basic instinct is to strive for the benefit of themselves and their children---and more remotely for the benefit of society in general. The accumulation of power in Oceanic society doesn't seem to serve any such purpose. I would welcome any opinions on this subject. Perhaps someone has a more satisfactory view of it,

[Raejo]

Well, indeed I also was a little puzzled by this answer to the why-question. You might try and turn the phrase 'power is God' around so that it says 'God is power'. Since this is intuitively easier to comprehend it will also be clearer to see that 1984 might amongst other things be a protest from Orwell against human 'progress' in conquering nature. By nature I do not only mean the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees, but also human nature, the thing we came from. He had recently witnessed the 2nd worls war and it's atomic bombs on Japan. He saw that man could as it where act like God in the sense that it could whipe out an entire city in just one action.
Furthermore, he had seen the totalitarian regimes of National socialism, and communism, he had human history in mind and thought it over in the process of writing 1984. In the book presumably that of Goldstein (I hope it's the correct phrase since Englishis not my native language), the observation is expressed that no regime was everlasting. The assumption that a revolution, or a regime should be everlasting is the weaker point in 1984 thus. Because Orwell seeks to find a regime-policy that ensures it's 'everlastingness', he concludes with history in mind that the principles of this regime should'nt be in favour of human well-being. Therefore it has to be one like that of the Party and it has to be directed towards power as an end in itself because all other ends are not everlasting. And God is the ultimate power, omnipotency, hence Power is God.

I hope this can be of any help.

[braniac2read]

how can this be possible if it's part of the humen condition